Trust in the Forest

Engaging People with Welcome to the Summer Edition June 2016 Issue 29 Spring and summer delights

In this edition:

At the Epping Forest Visitor Centre  Epping Forest Big at High Beach, the bird feeding sta- Litter Pick tion was enjoyed by four young nut- hatches feeding on the ground– on  Volunteering small seeds generously supplied to opportunities them by a young squirrel who had suc-  “Recycling” at cessfully knocked one of the feeders Fairmead to the ground. That was followed by two young  Discovery week at woodpeckers getting to grips with High Beach feeding from the peanut feeders.  Forthcoming events And Nick, earlier this spring, was for-  Looking ahead tunate to have a family of Mistle Thrushes nest in his garden, directly Mistle Thrushes in March beside Wanstead Flats opposite Wanstead Flats.

Annual Review coming up

Now that we have had a few glimpses of summer, we do hope that you will be able to join us at our forthcoming Annual Review on 27 July, 2016 at Warren House. An opportunity to hear more of what we have been up to and hopefully enjoy a sunny afternoon on the lawn of the House!

You will find your invitation enclosed with this newsletter. We look forward to seeing you.

Looking towards from the Big View

Trust in the Forest Page 1 Epping Forest Big Litter Pick March 4 - 6, 2016

From March 4th to 6th, and timed to coincide with the national Clean for the Queen initiative, the Trust worked with the Conservators of Epping Forest to coordinate and promote the Epping Forest Big Litter Pick Weekend and provide support to participating groups and events. The aims were to celebrate the contribution made by all volunteers’ groups across the Forest, to take joint action on litter, to help groups to attract new members and to increase awareness and appreciation of the whole Forest and its volunteer groups.

We had a good response from groups for this first-time Forest wide event with a very short lead in time! 9 groups took part (including 1 School) Over 120 people on 8 sites Over 150 bags of rubbish collected It was great to see groups participating across the Forest, from Epping to Wanstead Flats.

The Conservators’ litter cart team and the Keepers ensured that the resulting litter bags were taken off the sites very quickly.

There is enthusiasm to make this an annual event– so look out to get involved again in March 2017. Thank you and well done to all those who took part. Participating groups: Friends of Epping Forest, Epping Forest Outdoor Group, Wren Group, Bushwood Area Residents Association, Friends of Wanstead Parklands, Forest School.

Do you enjoy being out in the Forest?

Would you like to join us as an Activity Assistant, supporting our groups with learning difficulties to work in the Forest? Help them to take part in carrying out conservation and discovery activities, currently on Tuesday mornings and Fridays. Training and support is provided. Or perhaps be an Activity Volunteer at the Visitor Centre at High Beach? Come at peak times to help with family activities, help out with occasional Centre events or assist groups with disabilities making use of the adjacent High Beach Easy Access Trail. For more information, give us a ring or contact us by email if you are keen to get involved.

Trust in the Forest Page 2 Happy Loppers: Fairmead cuttings bundled for Jubilee Pond

The Happy Loppers have been opening up glades and removing large numbers of young silver birch trees just west of Fairmead Road. The ground flora is now beginning to regenerate.

However, the project doesn’t stop there! The Green Team has now bundled up the piles of cuttings, making “brushwood faggots”. These are being used by the Conservators along the margins of the islands in Jubilee Pond on Wanstead Flats to encourage marginal vegetation to re-establish.

Discovering Epping Forest from the High Beach Easy Access Path

Another successful partnership has been the Open access ‘week’ – May 17-20 (part of Festival) EFCT joined with the Friends of Epping Forest operating the Visitor Centre to deliver four days of activities for groups with special needs to join us on the Easy Access Trail. 74 pupils, students and young people from NE and Schools and colleges attended the sessions and enjoyed varied activities involving the 4 main Forest trees: Beech, Hornbeam, Oak & Silver Birch for bark rubbings and leaf ID, listening for birdsong whilst lying on the ground in the sun and finding Pupil from the Brook School duck, deer and dog footprints in the mud beside the path. Back at the Visitor Centre, close encounters with greater spotted woodpeckers, nuthatches and coal tits visiting the Centre’s birdfeeders provided a colourful finish to the session. Others tried holding fallow deer antlers. The Happy Loppers spent the morning constructing log piles to vary the habitat areas around the path to increase learning opportunities directly adjacent to the path. Robert and James of the Happy Loppers get to grips with Silver Birch logs

Trust in the Forest Page 3 Forthcoming events

‘Gilwell 24’ Saturday 9th July will see thousands of Scouts participating in activities for 24 hours at the Scouting headquarters and in the surrounding Forest. EFCT will be providing a conservation task to this event at Yates’ Meadow. Epping Forest Discovery Day at High Beach – Saturday July 16th 11am to 3pm Building on the earlier High Beach Festival, this one day event focusses on exploration & discovery specially for families. The Friends of Epping Forest will host wildlife talks and bird spotting in the Visitor Centre. The Field Studies Council will run a BioBlitz, tree trail, orienteering, face painting & crafts. EFCT will run activities around the Easy Access Path . High Beach Church will provide refreshments. Suntrap will join us too with some rather special ‘creepy crawlers’ to view and touch. Epping Forest Centenary Walk – September 11th Led by the Friends with Ramblers SW Essex Group and the Conservators, this event provides an opportunity to walk the length of the Forest in a day or join in for one or more of the sections. Beginning in Manor Park and walking to Epping, the route is based on the walk established in 1978 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passing of the Epping Forest Act 1878. Come and join with us, to celebrate Epping Forest! This year, after lunch at the View, we will continue up the western side of the Forest, visiting High Beach, the Verderers’ View, St Thomas’ Quarters and hopefully see some deer.

Looking ahead

It is a new beginning for the Epping Forest Centenary Trust. On March 14, Members of the Friends were invited to a Special General Meeting to consider the proposal put forward by the Trustees. The proposal endorsed by the membership present by a vote of 60 for and 4 against agreed that “This meeting supports the Friends Trustees’ view that in principle and subject to no impediments, it would be in best interests of the Friends of Epping Forest to form a new organisation with the Epping Forest Centenary Trust, given their near identical charitable purposes and the likelihood that they will pursue those purposes more effectively together.” This same proposal has also been considered and agreed by the Trust’s membership. This landmark decision by both charities acknowledges each of their contributions to the Forest to date (totalling 83 years between them), as well as heralding a commitment to ensure we are fitter to develop our activities well into the future. The combined activities and skills could help secure the sustainability of the current activities of both charities and enable more effectively the development of new activities and ways of working that could help us to respond to future pressures and opportunities. It means we could in the longer term become an organisation that can be sup- ported by more staff as well as an increasing number of members and volunteers. The Committees of both charities will soon start working up the elements required to form a new organisation and are currently seeking funding for support to help us do this. We hope it will not be too long before we can come back to members to seek consent to the action required to make this happen.

Epping Forest Centenary Trust The Warren Lodge, Loughton, Essex, IG10 4RN Tel: 020 8508 9061 Fax: 020 8508 9061 Email: [email protected] Website: www.efct.info Charity No: 275076 Company No: 01339783 Staff: Marian Haddad, Trust Administrator and Nick Ely, Conservation Officer Directors: Judy Adams BSc, Cert Ed, MSc, MBA, MCIEEM (Chairman); Terence Mallinson CBE DL MA (President); JI Besent OBE FRICS; Catherine McGuinness MA Oxon, Michael Slade LL.B,ACIB

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